Vane runner fitting for ducts and the like



Feb. 21, 1961 M. HINDEN 2,972,358

VANE RUNNER FITTING FOR DUCTS AND THE LIKE Filed May 15, 1956 sSheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 21, 196 1 M. HlNDEN 2,972,358

VANE RUNNER FITTING FOR DUCTS AND THE. LIKE Filed Iviay l5, 1956 3Sheets-Sheet 2 \INVENTOR Mid-0n HIM/ MTTORNEY Feb. 21, 1961 M. HINDEN2,972,358

I VANE RUNNER FITTING FOR DUCTS AND THE LIKE Filed May 15, 1956 3Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR Mlon Edna em Unite States PatentfO VANE RUNNERFITTING FOR DUCTS AND THE LIKE Milton Hinden, 701 Blackstone Ave., EastMeadows, N.Y.

Filed May 15, 1956, Ser. No. 585,002

8 Claims. (Cl. 138-39) This invention relates to vane supportingfittings for ducts, and more particularly for fittings for adjustablyattaching to supporting rails, blades or vanes to direct the flow of airthrough ducts.

Known to me is the provision of correlated vanes or blades for thefitting of the same in relation to ducts whereby the flow of heating orcooling media may be efficiently distributed.

The economical installation of either single blades or curved hollowblades or air turning contrivances, in a great many instances, requiresso-called custom adjustment or fitting to meet variable conditions whichmay be encountered. Prefabrication of fittings for the production of airturning vanes, air scoops, louvres, air extractors or multi-vaneshutters may become costly and economically unwieldy because of suchvariability in the required installation.

Accordingly, it is an object of my invention to provide a vane or bladefitting and cooperative installation of vane or blade and rail whichwill permit-any sheet metal worker to make the desired installation,with minimum factory prefabrication, permitting the use of surplus stocksheet metal and to be employed in a variety of installations, and makingpossible assembly with simple tools on the job.

Still more particularly, it is an object of this invention to provide avane or blade fitting and assembly with a supporting rail whereby asingle and adjustable vane or blade air turning device may be providedand which requires merely readily available sheet metal tools, such as achisel or snips, to make assembly and installation possible.

Still more particularly, it is an object of my invention to provide avane or blade fitting for holding vanes or blades to rails whereinadjustable air scoops or extractors accordance with my invention;

Figure 3 is a plan view thereof;

Figure 5 is a sectional view corresponding to Figure 4, with the fittingin attached position;

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5, with a vane or blade end shownin position;

Figure 6a is a plan view thereof; Figure 7 is a plan view illustratingan air scoop or extractor made in accordance with my invention;

, Figure 8 is an exemplification of my invention as ap- 2,972,358Patented Feb. 21, 1961 plied to an air scoop of curved single and doubleblade construction; I

Figure 9 is a perspectiveview of an adjustable air scoop or extractoremploying the vane runner fitting in accordance with my invention;

Figure 10 is an end elevational view showing the application of myinvention to hold vanes or blades to a single rail by the use of aplurality of rows of fittings;

Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 10 as applied to both single andhollow blades;

Figure 12 shows a single rail in accordance with my invention 'asadjustable to blades of a variety of radii;

Figure 13 is a sectional view illustrating the use of my invention inconnection withthe assembly of a louvre.

Making reference to the drawing, I illustrate my invention in connectionwith a rail or runner member 10, having one or more bearing apertures 11cut therein. It is contemplated by my invention to assemble With therail a vane or blade supporting fitting and reference is made to Figures2 to 5 for this purpose, wherein the fitting comprises generally astamping 12 of tubularly formed sheet metal having at one end a socketportion 13 formed with an inwardly directed closure of flange 14,.

'The trunnion portion is slitted axially to define a plurality ofsegments 20. The segments 20 are bent to provide stop portions 21,radially extending circumferentially about the socket portion, leavingto one side of the stop portions the tongues 22, separated by the slits23 longitudinally along the axis of the fitting.

A fitting thus provided may be projected into the bearing apertures 11so that the stop portions 21 abut the inner face 24 of the runner.Thereupon, the tongues 22 are struck or otherwise bent to formenveloping fingers 25 in a radially extended position with respect tothe axis of the fitting, as more clearly shown in Figure 5. A relativelyloose clinching action of the tongues 22 will serve to pivotally mountthe fitting within the aperture 11 so that the diametrically extendedslot 15 maylie in any position in relation to the rail 10.

A fat fold adjacent the corners 26 is illustrated to provide africtional engagement of the fitting 12 in re spect of the rail 10 bythe resiliency with which the tongues 22 make engagement with the rail10, it being understood that the deformation of the tongues 22 toprovide a more intimate fit, within limits holding the fitting intoseizing engagement against rotation, may be carried out where apredetermined setting of the $10 15 to the rail 10 may be founddesirable.

Witha construction as described, a vane 27 may have its edge 28 extendedinto the slot 15, whereupon the inwardly protruding edge 28 may bedeformed by peening or slitting to warp the edge or bend the slit edges,

Figure4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 3, in

the intermediate stage of attachment; 7

- limits of frictional contact of the trunnion portion 19 of the fittingwithin the bearing apertures 11.

Where the socket portion 14 is not only slitted vbut also formed withthe axial clearance aperture 18 previously described, the slit outliningthe bent portions awasss and 30 may extend substantially through theplane of the shoulders 16 and 17, assuring a take-up of end play to thefullest extent with minimum operations. Likewise, the points of a pairof shears may be extended past the shoulders 16 and 17 by reason of theaperture .18, :to assure the extension of the-slit to define the bentportions 29 and 30 most efiectively.

While I have illustrated the slit'lS as made by a cut outlining thewalls of theslit in parallelism, it will be understood that the slit maytaper initially frictionally to engage the vane 27 to accommodate theslot to sheet metal of different thickness and, in a measure, to carryout some of the features of the invention described in the applicationof Martin M. Gracer, Serial No. 363,640, filed June 23, 1953 now PatentNo. 2,861,- 597, entitled Duct Construction for Ventilating and AirConditioning and Method of Assembling the Same.

While I have shown and described the fitting in which the trunnionportion 19 is defined by a plurality of segments2ti, itwill beunderstood that the trunnion por tion may be retained tubularly formedcontinuously and the holding tongues may be shaped into rail engagingposition at the time of engaging the fitting with the blade 27 or likemember. Thus, the relative angular portion of a blade 27 to the rail iiimay be fixedly or adjustably determined by peening the vane edge 27, andat the same time bending the overhang of the trunnion 19 into railengaging position.

Illustrative of one embodiment of my invention employing the rail asshown in Figure l, with the vane fitting as shown in Figures 2 to 6:1,is the embodiment shown in Figure 7. Here a pair of rails 10 may haveformed therein a plurality of bearing apertures 11, into which aremounted the trunnion fittings 12, previously described, to holdtherebetween, pivotally mounted, the vanes 27a. An assembly of thischaracter may be employed in relation to ,a duct to provide an air scoopor extractor. Individual adjustability of the blades 27a may thereby beefiected, as regards the extension of the blades and their angularposition.

While the assembly shown in Figure 7 may be employed to have the vanesadjustably related to the rail, employing fiat blades, the device may beemployed to support curved blades or vanes, either of single or doublewalled construction. In Figure 8, a pair of rails 10 has formed thereinbearing apertures as in the prior embodiment. Within the bearingapertures, one or more fittings 12 are positioned. Between the pair ofrails 10 so prepared there may be afiixed for adjustable lateral as wellas pivotal mounting, vanes 2712. One or more of these blades or vanesmay carry a superimposed wall 270. The protuberance comprising theportion 13 in no way interferes with the use of a single fitting to holdthe double wall 27c in position, the construction thereby having utilityto hold single, individually adjustable blades, or hollow vanes ofdouble wall construction, as well as the straight, fiat blade describedin Figure 7.

While I have shown an adjustable air scoop or extractor employing a pairof rails for holding either fiat,

curved or double walled vanes adjustably, the construction provided byme may be employed for use in'making adjustable air scoops or extractorsof use inair turns. This I may do as shown in Figure 9 by providing twopairs of end rails ltla in parallelism, eachmember of the pair having aseries of bearing apertures, with a corresponding number of vanes 27d.The vanes'27d may be of the single or hollow type previously described.By using the spaced rails, between pairs of which the blades or vanesare mounted, all of the blades may be changed simultaneously by movingone rail in a plane along the length of a rail, While holding the otherrail in a relatively fixed position. Thus, highly adjustable air scoopsor extractors may thereby be assembled quickly, without any specialtools other than a chisel or pair of tinsmiths snips for bending theabutting edge of the vanes entering into the slots of the fitting, inthe manner previously described. Thus, also, single straight or curvedblades, or curved hollow blades may be assembled between the parallelpairs of rails to secure an air turning assembly or louvre assembly.

While I have shown rails in which a single row of trunnion fittings maybe mounted for turnably and trans versely adjusting vanes with relationthereto, rails may be provided where a pluralityof rows of the trunnionfittings may be employed to assemble air turuings in any angular portionof a duct. Such assembly is shown in Figure 10 where each of a pair ofrails liib is formed with two rows of bearing apertures Ila, into whichare fitted, in opposed relation, the trunnion fittings 12, as describedin Figures 2 to 5. Between a pair of rails 1%, a plurality of curvedvanes or blades 27c may be mounted. These vanes may be adjustedtransversely to position the leading and trailing edges symmetrical withthe center line of the rails 10b, where the branches of the elbow inwhich'the duct turn assembly is positioned are equal and symmetrical, orto have the leading and trailing edges of the vanes27enonsymmetrical,-where there is a difference in cross section between thebranches of the elbow in which the turning vane assembly is mounted.

Likewise, any pair of the trunnion fittings may support a singleor'hollow blade. This is illustrated in Fi ure 11, where the auxiliaryvanes or blades 27'e are shown mounted to back the main blade 27c. Theauxiliary vane 27'e may be straight-edged at its ends to lie inbutt-joint contact with the rail 1% on each of the inner faces, withoutrunning into any interference in encountering the socketportion orextension 13 to one side of the trunnion fitting, and where theauxiliary vanes 27's engage the protuberances, dampening them againstfluttering is additionally secured.

In Figure 12 the versatility of the trunnion fitting is furtheremphasized with relation to a rail 10b, as in the previous embodiment,where vanes 27 27g, 27h and 27i may be mounted on the double row oftrunnion fittings previously described, while employing a variety ofradii for the vanes.

Accordingly, it will be observed that rails such as 1012, having rows oftrunnion fittings attached, may be supplied as a standard element, withwhich vanes of different widths or curvature may be assembled, withoutdistorting the vanes, to secure an efficient air turning, deflecting,scoop or like action.

While I have shown and described the use of vane runners formed withbearing apertures carrying thetnlnnion fittings in the production of avariety .of widths and locations of vanes, such construction is readilyadaptable to the production of louvres. For this purpose, as shown inFigure -13, rails may be provided with a plurality of rows ofbearingapertures fitted with trunnion fittings, as in Figures 10 to 12.Here, however, louvres 31 may extend diagonally and be afiixed inposition across diagonally positioned trunnion fittings.

Thus, the simple rail 10, with a plurality of rows of the trunnionfittings, may be utilized pivotally aswell as fixedly to support bladeor louvre elements, forming either a fixed relationship of the vanes tothe rails or a pivotal arrangement of the blades to the rails, all ofwhich parts may be assembled from fiat stock sheet metal, to secureadjustability, rigidity, simplicity, by the use of tools, such astinsmiths snips or cold chisel, to tie the butt edge of a vane member tothe rail member carrying the trunnion fitting.

Thus, also, in accordance with my invention, strips of fiat sheet metalfor the rails may be employed without prefabrication other than involvedin punching, drilling or otherwise cutting the bearing apertures 11previously described.

By my invention, also thicker or thinner stock sheet members, as no deepdrawing operation is involved in tolerance in fitting the vanes orblades between rails,

thereby effecting economies in the choice of strips of material whichmay be employed.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claimas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A vane supporting fitting for rotatably securing a vane to a vanerunner having a bearing aperture in said runner comprising a stamping ofsheet material formed to outline a tubular member of a diameter to beinserted and rotated within said aperture, said member having an openend and an end with a closed wall portion and including a pair of bentsegments forming spaced-apart 'stop extension means positioned betweensaid ends of said tubular member and extending radially outwardly in aplane substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of said member, aslot extending across the closed wall portion and part way up theadjacent sides of the tubular member,. said closed Wall portion alsobeing provided with an enlarged clearance aperture communicating withsaid slot, thereby permitting the points of a shears to be insertedthrough said open end of said tubular member and said clearance apertureto a position beyond said closed Wall portion when a vane is inserted insaid slot to permit slitting and bending of said vane at a depth beneathsaid closed wall portion while said vane fitting and runner aremaintained in engaged position.

2. A fitting in accordance with claim 1 wherein one of said pair of stopextension means comprises a plurality of tongues arranged to be bentinto engagement against one side of said runner when said tubular memberis inserted into said aperture and said other of said pair of stopextension means is engaged against the other side of said runner.

3. A fitting in accordance with claim 1 wherein said vane is maintainedin proximate spaced relation from butt joint contact with said runner,said other of said pair of stop extension means acting as a spacer toprevent frictional contact between said runner and said vane.

4. In an air turning device wherein one of apair of spaced-apart,parallel, juxtaposed vane runners and curved blades is positioned atright angles with respect to the other and said blades are singlesheeted, and of rectangular outline and predetermined curvature, and arefixedly secured to each of said runners at longitudinally spaced pointspositioned adjacent side margins of said runners, said runner havingcircular bearing apertures at each of said spaced points and having aplurality of flanged, cup-shaped members having a sidewardly extendingflange bent therefrom and overlapping one face of said runner, saidcup-shaped members rotatably extending through said bearing aperture tothe other face of said runner, at which face stop extension means abutthe inner face of the runner to hold said cup-shaped members againstdisplacement, said cup-shaped members extending through said runner,said extending portion having a slot diametrically across the same, saidslot being arranged to receive a blade fixedly secured to said runner byhaving a side marginal edge portion of said blade projecting throughsaid slot and into the interior of said cup-shaped members, the portionsof said blade projecting into said cup-shaped members being deformableto lock said blade to said cup-shaped members and hence to said runner,said runner being constituted by elongated strips having parallel sideedges and a row of longitudinally spaced, generally circular bearingapertures formed therein,

whereby rotatably to adjust therein the juxtaposed, cupshaped membersalong the plane of the blade projected 'into the said slot as the shapeand curvature of the blade may require.

5; In an air turning device wherein one of a pair of spaced apart,parallel, juxtaposed vane runners and curved blades is positioned atright angles with respect to the other and said blades are singlesheeted, and of rectangular outline and predetermined curvature, and arefixedly secured to each of said runners at a pair of longitudinallyspaced points positioned adjacent opposite side margins of said runners,said runners having circular bearing apertures at each of said spacedpoints, and having a plurality of flanged, cup-shaped members having asidewardly extending-flange bent therefrom and overlapping one face ofsaid runner, said cup-shaped members rotatably extending throughsaidtbearing aperture to the other face of said runner, at which 'facestop extension means abut the inner face of the runner to'hold saidcup-shaped members against displacement, said cupshaped membersextending through said runner, said extending portion having a slotdiametrically across the same, said slot being arranged to receive ablade fixedly secured to said runner by having a side marginal edgeportion of said blade projecting through said slot and into the interiorof said cup-shaped members, the por- 'tions of said blade projectinginto said cup-shaped members being deformable to lock said blade to saidcupshaped members and hence to said runner, said runner 30 beingconstitutedby elongated strips having parallel side edges and parallel,longitudinally spaced rows of longitudinally spaced, laterallyjuxtaposed, generally circular bearing apertures formed therein, wherebyrotatably to adjust therein the juxtaposed, cup-shaped members along theplane of the blade projected into the said slot as the shape andcurvature of the blade may require.

6. In an air turning device, a pair of spaced apart parallel juxtaposedside plates and curved blades positioned at a right angle with respectto said side plates, said blades being single rectangular blades ofdifierent curvature and being fixedly secured to each of said sideplates at a pair of laterally spaced points positioned at opposite sidemargins of said plates, said side plates having generally circularopenings at each of said spaced points, a plurality of flangedcup-shaped members having a sidewardly extending flange and a cup-shapedportion depending from said flange, said cup-shaped portion having aslot extending across the same, said flanged cup-shaped members beingmounted for rotation in the plane of said side plates in the openingsthereof with the said cup-shaped portions all projecting through saidopenings toward said blades, said blades being fixedly secured to eachof said side plates by having a side marginal portion of said bladesprojecting through said slots and into the interior of said cup-shapedportions, the portions of said blades projecting into said cup-shapedportions being deformed to lock said blades to said flanged cup-shapedmembers and hence to said side plates, said side plates beingconstituted by elongated strips having parallel side edges and parallellaterally spaced rows of longitudinal spaced laterally juxtaposedgenerally circular openings formed therein.

7. In an air turning device, a pair of spaced apart parallel juxtaposedside plates and curved blades positioned at a right angle with respectto said side plates, said blades being fixedly secured to each of saidside plates at a pair of laterally spaced points positioned at oppositeside margins of said plates, said blades being single rectangularblades, the blades at one end of said air turning device belng short andsharply curved, the blades at the other end of said device being longand slightly curved and the blades in the midle of said device being ofintermediate width and curvature, said side plates having generallycircular openings at each of said spaced points, a plurality of flangedcup-shaped members "having a sidewardly extending flange and acup-shaped portion-depending from said flange, said cup-shapedportion-having a slot extending across the same, said flanged cup-shapedmembers being mounted for rotation in the plane-of said side plates inthe openings thereof with the said cup-shaped portionsall projectingthrough said openings toward said blades, said blades being fixedlysecured to each of saidside plates by having a side marginal portion ofsaid blades projecting through said slots and into the interior of saidcup-shaped portions, the portions of said blades projecting into saidcup-shaped portions being deformed to lock said blades to said flangedcupshaped members and hence to said side plates, said side plates beingconstituted by elongated strips having parallel side edges and parallellaterally spaced rows of longitudinal spaced laterally juxtaposedgenerally circular open- .ings formed therein.

8. In an air turning device, a pair of spaced apart parallel juxtaposedside plates and curved blades positioned at a right angle with respectto said side plates, said blades being fixedly secured to each of saidside plates at a pair of laterally spaced points positioned at oppositeside margins of said plates, said side plates having generally circularopenings at each of said spaced points, a plurality of flangedcup-shaped members having a sidewardly extending flange and a cup-shapedportion depending from said flange, said cup-shaped portion having aslot extending across the same, said flanged cup-shaped members beingmounted for rotation in the plane of said side plates in the openingsthereof with the said cupshaped portions all projecting through saidopenings toward said blades, said blades beingfixedly secured to each ofsaid side plates by having a side marginal portion of said bladesprojecting through said slots and into the interior of said cup-shapedportions, the portions of said blades projecting into said cup-shapedportions being deformed to lock said blades to said flanged cupshapedmembers and hence to said side plates, said side plates beingconstituted by elongated strips having parallel side edges and twoparallel, laterally spaced straight rows of longitudinally spacedlaterally juxtaposed generally circular openings formed therein, saidblades being mounted in non-laterally juxtaposed slots. of the flangedcup-shaped members.

References Cited in the file of this .patent UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHERREFERENCES Publication by Duro Vane Rail, page 28 of the Sheet MetalWorker, October 1953. (Copy. in Div. 11, class 138-39.)

